{"id":68993,"date":"2026-03-14T18:17:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-14T12:47:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=68993"},"modified":"2026-03-14T18:18:35","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T12:48:35","slug":"menstrual-leave-sc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/14-03-2026\/menstrual-leave-sc","title":{"rendered":"Paid Menstrual Leave May Hurt Women\u2019s Careers: SC"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS1\/Social Issues, Gender Equality<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Supreme Court expressed <strong>apprehensions that a law making paid leave during\u00a0 menstrual pain compulsory<\/strong> may damage the careers of young women and deprive them of equal opportunities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is Menstrual Leave?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Menstrual leave refers to paid or unpaid leave granted to women during menstruation when they experience health issues such as:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Dysmenorrhea: <\/strong>\u00a0painful menstrual cramps<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Endometriosis:<\/strong> a disorder where tissue similar to uterine lining grows outside the uterus<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Highlights of the SC Judgement<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Such a move <\/strong>could create <strong>a psychological barrier<\/strong> among women that they are inferior to men as they can&#8217;t work when they are menstruating.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Chief Justice distinguished between<strong> creating a legally enforceable statutory right and a spontaneous act or policy<\/strong> from employers towards women employees.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Court encouraged \u201cvoluntary\u201d initiatives<\/strong> in this regard by States like Odisha, Karnataka and Kerala, which gives leave to students in State-run universities and institutions up to 60 days\u2019 leave annually for menstrual pain.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Arguments in Favour of Paid Menstrual Leave<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Promotes Gender-Sensitive Workplaces: <\/strong>Recognises biological realities of women and promotes inclusivity and empathy in the workplace.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Moves beyond gender-neutral policies to gender-responsive labour reforms.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Aligns with Constitutional Principles: <\/strong>Supports Article 42 of the Constitution of India, which directs the state to ensure just and humane conditions of work.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Also it resonates with provisions of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Improves Productivity and Well-being: <\/strong>Allows women to rest during periods of pain or discomfort, leading to better overall performance and morale.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Health and Human Rights Perspective: <\/strong>Upholds women\u2019s right to health, dignity, and bodily autonomy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>De-stigmatising Menstruation: <\/strong>Recognising menstrual health in workplace policy can help break social taboos &amp; promote gender equality.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Global Alignment:<\/strong> Reflects global best practices, countries like Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Spain have similar policies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Arguments Against<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Risk of Workplace Discrimination: <\/strong>Employers may become reluctant to hire or promote women, viewing them as less productive or more costly.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Could unintentionally reinforce gender bias rather than eliminate it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Informal Sector Dominance<\/strong>: Nearly 88% of India\u2019s workforce is in the informal sector, where formal leave policies are largely absent.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Implementation Challenges in the Private Sector: <\/strong>Ensuring compliance and monitoring across diverse industries could be difficult.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Insufficient Scope and Uniformity: <\/strong>One day per month may be inadequate for many women who experience severe menstrual disorders.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Lack of a national framework may create policy inconsistency across states and sectors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Existing Employer Obligations:<\/strong> Employers already bear responsibilities such as maternity Benefit Act, 1961 provisions, cr\u00e8che facilities in certain establishments<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><strong>Existing Menstrual Leave Policies in India<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India does not have a national law on menstrual leave, but some states have introduced policies.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Bihar was the first state to introduce menstrual leave (1992) for government employees.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some companies have introduced voluntary menstrual leave policies like Zomato, Swiggy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Women are striving for <strong>equality in workplaces<\/strong> and leadership roles, and the provision of menstrual leave <strong>could potentially be used against them<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Recognising the <strong>diverse nature <\/strong>of menstrual experiences is essential.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Some argue for flexible work hours, work-from-home options, or better menstrual hygiene facilities at workplaces instead of fixed leave days.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tailoring support and being accommodative on a <strong>case-by-case basis<\/strong> promotes inclusivity, while also addressing the individual needs of those navigating their difficult menstrual cycle.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/paid-menstrual-pain-leave-may-cost-women-their-careers-supreme-court-apprehends\/article70738379.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The Supreme Court expressed apprehensions that a law making paid leave during\u00a0 menstrual pain compulsory may damage the careers of young women and deprive them of equal opportunities. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> What is Menstrual Leave? <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Menstrual leave refers to paid or unpaid leave granted to women during menstruation when they experience health issues such as: <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Dysmenorrhea: \u00a0painful menstrual cramps <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Endometriosis: a disorder where tissue similar to uterine lining grows outside the uterus <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/14-03-2026\/menstrual-leave-sc \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-68993","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68993","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68993"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68993\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68996,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68993\/revisions\/68996"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68993"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68993"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}